« S.T.A.R.S. continuity »
Do you remember the Transformers greatest battle on Earth? Pepperidge Farm remembers.
"Rodimus Prime remembers the Transformers greatest battle on Earth."
Publisher	Hasbro
Cover date	1987

"Rodimus Prime remembers the Transformers [sic] greatest battle on Earth." is one in a series of mail-order flyers included with Generation 1 toys, offering various Transformers which had either been discontinued from the main line or had never been available in retail. A small amount of story content helped sell the characters.

Synopsis

"Doot dee doot dee doo, that's certainly an inconspicuous gun and fighter jet up there..."

Rodimus Prime stands up within the "data battle center" and announces that he remembers the most crucial Transformer battle, which he calls "Digital Doom on the Highway to Destruction". This "legendary" conflict had taken place as an Autobot convoy led by Optimus Prime searched for a spot to build Autobot City on Earth. They were ambushed by the Decepticons Megatron and Thundercracker, the former attacking in his "machine gun" mode while the latter used his "energy-zapping" powers. But in response, the seemingly "innocent convoy was converted into a shower of drone rockets" and other weaponsfire.

Rodimus's story ends abruptly there, and the reader is given a briefing on several Autobots and Decepticons. Most of them had been part of Rodimus's tale, but the additional Transformers Cliffjumper, Cosmos, and Reflector are also noted. The reader is given a halfhearted pitch for S.T.A.R.S. membership and encouraged to "expand" their "arsenal of Autobots and Decepticons".

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Notes

"...awwwww SNAP!"

• This continues a loose story that runs through a few years' worth of toy pack-in flyers. The micro-continuity, taken at face value, cannot fit within any known larger continuity: For example, Rodimus Prime is seen here coexisting with Optimus Prime in the days before Autobot City, and in fact The Transformers: The Movie was already established as an actual movie made by the Autobots. And on top of it all, the "unreliable narrator" factor makes it impossible to determine the absolute "truth" behind these Autobot stories.
• The flyer-incorporating-itself-into-its-own-fiction gimmick is barely present by this point. No real context is given for the message as a whole, and even the S.T.A.R.S. membership blurb takes only a token stab at blurring the line between the real world and the Transformers world.
• It's unclear what Megatron and Thundercracker could actually do to these eight Autobots that would constitute the "greatest battle on Earth." (They're vastly outnumbered, for starters.) Either this micro-continuity is shockingly tame, or Rodimus is having a senior moment.
• Megatron is referred to as a "machine gun". It's technically true!
• Thundercracker's description as being able to "zap the power supply of his enemies" ties into previous pack-in flyer appearances (assuming that "zap" is being used synonymously with "sap"). Notably, this is the only continuity that gives him such an ability.
• Megatron is shown using his stock assembly as a "particle beam cannon", which may be the only canonical instance of such.
• Items available in this brochure include:
  • Optimus Prime ($21.50 + 5 robot points)
  • Megatron ($21.50 + 5 robot points)
  • Thundercracker ($10 + 2 robot points)
  • Reflector ($10 + 2 robot points)
  • Wheeljack ($8 + 2 robot points)
  • Mirage ($8 + 2 robot points)
  • Ratchet ($8 + 2 robot points)
  • Sunstreaker ($8 + 2 robot points)
  • Cosmos ($3.50 + 1 robot point)
  • Warpath ($3.50 + 1 robot point)
  • Cliffjumper ($3.50 + 1 robot point). As pictured, these were actually Hubcap toys, with instructions that at times showed both Hubcap and Cliffjumper. Darn those confusing Mini Vehicles!
  • S.T.A.R.S. membership, now reduced to $5.00 thanks to "a more efficient use of Transformers energy and technology".
• True to Ultra Magnus's word, the Omnibots are no longer available.
• Thundercracker is mistransformed in the art, as his wings are left in their vehicle mode state. Whether this represents some sort of damage or a mid-transformation moment is unknown.